Kanpur (UP), February 5th: India’s prowess in hypersonic technology takes a monumental leap as the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) announces the successful establishment and testing of the country’s premier Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel Test Facility. This milestone achievement propels India into an elite group of nations boasting advanced hypersonic testing capabilities. Dubbed as the S2 facility, it has the capacity to generate flight speeds ranging from 3 to 10 kilometers per second, effectively simulating the hypersonic conditions crucial for atmospheric and asteroid entry, scramjet flights, and ballistic missiles. The S2, affectionately known as ‘Jigarthanda’, spans an impressive 24 meters and is nestled within IIT-Kanpur’s Hypersonic Experimental Aerodynamics Laboratory (HEAL), housed in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. This indigenous marvel was meticulously designed and developed over a span of three years, with financial backing and support from the Aeronautical Research and Development Board (ARDB), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and IIT-Kanpur. Professor S. Ganesh, Director of IIT-Kanpur, hailed the establishment of S2 as a historic feat, underscoring its significance in empowering India’s space and defense organizations with indigenous hypersonic testing capabilities for critical missions and projects. Professor Mohammed Ibrahim Sugarno, Associate Professor at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, emphasized the challenges overcome in constructing S2, particularly in perfecting the ‘free piston driver’ system, crucial for high-pressure piston firing and controlled deceleration. Echoing the sentiment, Professor GM Kamath, Head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering, highlighted the transformative impact of S2 on aerospace research, paving the way for innovation and exploration in this dynamic field. With the inauguration of S2, IIT-Kanpur sets a new benchmark in hypervelocity research, propelling India’s standing in the global hypersonic research community to new heights.
